The best shops for jewellery and accessories right now
The best shops for jewellery and accessories right now
By Jess Wood, Fashion Editor of Marie Claire
November 27, 2017
Fashion is all about niche finds right now – but who the hell has time to track them down? Etsy is a fashion insider favourite for unusual hand-made pieces, so we’ve hunted out the coolest designers for you. Whether you’re after a personalised ‘forever’ bag or some crow-claw earrings – here are the best shops on Etsy and designers you need to know,
From Gucci‘s DIY collection to the trend for mismatched and curated watches and jewellery, fashion is all about niche finds and personalised pieces right now. And frankly, who wants to be in a real life ‘Who Wore It Better?’ competition in the same Zara outfit as the rest of the room? But when it comes to finding under-the-radar pieces, things can get tricky. You might be a) a stylist and it’s actually your job or b) you might have untold hours to spend rummaging through unlikely shopping locations to unearth that one pair of authentic beaded Japanese slippers, the likes of which have never been seen by anyone ever before. But if neither of the above apply, the shopping struggle can be real. Which is why fashion insiders love hunting for the best shops on Etsy.
The site might already be your bookmark for all things hand-made (the criteria every seller on the site has to fulfil) – but probably when you’re on a desperate quest for something specific for your house or your wedding. Hand-beaded invites, anyone? However, amongst the custom cushion covers and personalised confetti, there are some incredible fashion ‘makers’ to be found. And we’re not the only ones to think it – the Marc Jacobs team found the creator of the controversial pastel dreadlock wigs used in his SS17 show on the site, and we’ve heard many a stylist tell us about their trawling missions for unusual pieces – hello, oversized African-fabric hoops!
But the sheer enormity of the choice is enough to make you scream and run for the nearest high street. So we’ve done all the hard work for you – just in time to have something whipped up to your exacting requirements, pre-Christmas-party rush. Here’s our edit of the best shops on Etsy for accessories right now, the stories behind the designers who make them – and our favourite ‘OMG, where is that from?’ pieces to buy…
CARV Bags
USP: handcrafted leather bags with a minimalist, architectural look. If you lust after Celine, love the designs of Manu Atelier, and are after a ‘forever bag’ that will look better as the years go by, these are for you. Prices £35-395
The designer: Becky (a former town planner who decided to focus on her creative side in 2016 and hasn’t looked back). ‘I really believe in ‘slow fashion’ and how important it is to sustain local and traditional manufacturing in the modern fashion world,’ she says. She only uses chemical-free leather, tanned using vegetable dyes, which means they age beautifully. Each bag is made from start to finish at her studio in Hackney Wick.
We want: the tan ‘Pioneer Mini’ leather crossbody bag, £195
